Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Laws to Follow

Recently my students completed a project in which they had to create their own imaginary worlds. One part of the project involved writing a list of laws that must be followed in their world. Here are a few that I thought were particularly interesting (edited in some cases for spelling and clarity).

Every piece of furniture should be bouncy. If not, you will have to get new furniture.If you have a pet shark, train him/her not to fight with other pet sharks. Otherwise, the president will take your pet sharkDo not steal, unless you are stealing from an enemy tribe. Otherwise, the president will steal from you. Whenever you see a poor person, you have to give them money. Otherwise, you have to pay $100 to the president.If you drive a pegasus without a license, you'll have to pay a fine.Never hurt someone on purpose unless you are in danger, and you will most likely never be in danger here. If you break this law, your fees and deductibles will go up by ten times.Always be happy even if you are angry inside. If you don't stay happy, you get a fine of $100.Everybody has to have some clothing that represents what job they have. If they don't, they will be fired from that job.No harming another villager. Punishment (1st time): an arm cut off, (2nd time): a leg cut off.Don't quit school, or you'll have to go to school on Saturdays and Sundays for a year.If you don't pay taxes, you'll have 1-2 years of triple tax.Don't break buildings, or you'll have to help build 4 more buildings.Don't pollute the air on purpose, or you'll have to plant 25 trees and help make cleansers for the air.If you don't recycle, you'll have 2 months of cleaning service and a year of going around and helping elders recycle.Don't eat more than 4 packs of junk food a day, or you'll have to go on a diet for 3-4 months.There must be absolutely no fairies in our land.You cannot get out of this country once you get in. If you leave the country, it leads to death.No one can bear arms. If they do, they will be decapitated. This is not a bloody country. It is a country of peace.People should not waste food. If they do, they would not have food the next day.The government will not collect taxes of any sort; however, they do have the right to take a person's home if the garbage is not taken care of daily.Every Monday, citizens must play 80s music in their car.You must never make a promise and not fulfill it, or else you may be fined.You are not allowed to like the movie Frozen. Liking it will result in being kicked out of this world.You cannot be late for work unless you have a note excusing you for being late. Punishment for tardiness to work is one week in jail.You are not allowed to escape jail. If you do, you will be put there for eternity.Don't say any bad words. Otherwise, a mark will be burned into your back.Don't cut down any trees. Otherwise, you'll hardly get to play with the baby dragons.Always save energy. Otherwise, you'll have to carry other people's luggage.Everybody must protect the planet. If you destroy the planet, you'll be executed.All unicorns must address royalty with the right titles. Otherwise, they will be forced to spend a moon practicing being polite and using the right titles. They will be required to write an 850-word essay during this time, explaining how they should address a member of royalty.You must not use any other source of electricity besides solar power. Otherwise, you will have to live the rest of your life in jail.No littering. Otherwise, you will have a $30,000 fine and 7 hours of picking up trash on the road.No foul language. Otherwise, you will go to prison for one year.No graffiti. Otherwise, you will have to start an anti-graffiti organization.Every kid must go to school. Otherwise, you will have to go to a very strict school alone.Do not drink poison or beverages that might hurt your health. Otherwise, you will be demoted to the lowest rank for half of your life.Do not threaten people. Consequence: you'll be tied upside-down and roasted.Do not steal, or your feet will be dipped in lava.Do not start a war. Consequence: you'll be stoned by hot coals.Do not harm the national animal. Otherwise, you'll be tied on a rope and dipped into rivers and lakes and killed by the monsters in the lava.Do not harm a kid. Consequence: you'll be put in an arena and made to fight other prisoners.No peeing in improper spots. Offenders will have cleaning duty for a month.No going wild. Offenders will be banished!

I've had my classes do this project for several years in a row now. Click on the links below to read some of the interesting laws created by my students in previous years: